CONTENTS

PRODUCE OF THE WEEK

Scallops are a popular type of shellfish. As a seafood, scallop can be divided in two parts : the scallop itself, white and meaty, which is the adductor muscle, and the red or white coral, which is the roe.

The true scallops are the Pecten Maximus. They are fished in North-East Atlantic and come from Normandy, Brittany, Ireland, England and Scotland. Other kinds of scallops, especially the Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) and bay scallops, come from the United-States and Canada and are often mistaken for "Pecten Maximus" scallops, which are a bit bigger. To be kept, they must be larger than 10,2 cm.

In the Channel, scallops are catched with a dragnet, for they live on the sand and silt depths of the sea, up to -80 meters. French fishermen are the only ones to stop the harvest during the summer. The Normandy scallops can be sold under the appellation "Label rouge" since 2002 and 2009. They obey strict rules to provide to the consumers the best quality and freshness.The best time to buy and cook this seafood is between October and April.

To choose your scallops, be sure that they are alive when you buy them : the shells must be well closed or close when they are touched. Scallops are among the finest seafood and are often present for the celebration meals. They are also good for health. Low in calories, they contain good-quality proteins and very few lipid and carbohydrate. They can be cooked in many ways: with a creamy sauce, au gratin, simply fried with a knob of butter, crushed garlic and chopped parsley, or raw, in sushi, tartare or carpaccio. (Picture copyright : Normandie Fraîcheur Mer)

Discover the only fig AOC in France from a small privileged soil located in the sunny Var, carefully harvested for centuries by local labour. In Provence region and the Var department, the basin of Solliès is a small area watered by the Gapeau river flowing peacefully between Toulon and Hyeres. The AOC obtained in 2006 brings together hundreds of producers planted over an area of about 120 hectares. AOC and not AOC growers of the Solliès basin produce ¾ of French production, reaching 2500 tons per year. The Solliès fig is a fresh fig with a diameter between 40 and 70 mm and contains sugar ranging from 14 to 26 degrees Brix. Shaped like a crushed teardrop, it is purple to ribbed black. The fruit is dense, firm and supple. The receptacle is thin, pale green; the pulp is fleshy, and coloured as strawberry jam with many thin beige seeds. The nose is elegant, very intense and fruity with vegetal notes of watermelon, white melon, strawberry and other red fruits. The palate is full with characteristic tangy and sweet balance, crisp then slush, with intense vegetal aromas (rhubarb jam, watermelon), fruity (red fruits ) and flower notes.

At the cuisine, the Solliès fig can be associated with the deliciously seared foie gras, the salmon, ham, cheese, yogurt and cottage cheese. It accompanies marvellously the game, pork and rabbit.

Fresh in summer, processed for winter, deep-frozen Mirabelles de Lorraine, the new taste trend !

The mirabelle is a specialty of Lorraine, which has an ideal climate and soil composition for the cultivation of this fruit. This region produces 15,000 tons of mirabelle prunes annually, which constitutes 80% of global commercial production.

There are two main cultivars grown for fruit production, derived from cherry plums grown in Nancy and Metz. The Metz type is smaller, less hard, and less sweet, and has no small red spots on the skin. It is very good for jam, while the Nancy type is better as fresh fruit as it is sweeter.

Since 1996 the mirabelle de Lorraine has been recognized and promoted by the EU as a high-quality regional product, with a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). This label guarantees a minimum fruit size (22mm) and sugar content, and can only be used in a specific geographical zone of production.

In the Lorraine area, Mirabelle trees are derived from traditional Lorraine stock, limited to 200 trees on a 1-hectare parcel and nourished with rational methods of fertilization and soil rich in oligo-elements and are selected by hand.

Pitted and fresh-frozen, Mirabelles de Lorraine are great for pies, sorbets, jams, coulis, syrups, natural flavouring, in pieces, fruit sauces, compotes, purées, condiments for sweet-sour dishes and even more...

This traditional French fruit benefits from the technological innovation: the nutritional and taste are preserved thanks to innovative flow freeze technology, totally dedicated to the "Health" benefits of the fruit. This quick-freeze action provides a product as close as possible to the fresh fruit, which is intact and in perfect shape. All stages of processing are concentrated at a single place : storage, preservation, refrigeration, deep-freeze.

The first French bean to be granted of Label Rouge, in 1997, Tarbais Beans are famed for their extremely thin skin, which makes them easier to cook and gives them an unbeatable, delicate flavour. It also makes them light on the stomach and easy to digest. The starch content is very low, so they are remarkably tender. They don’t burst during cooking or turn to mush on your plate, but when the time comes, they melt in your mouth to deliver their creamy texture. Delicious ! At cooking, Tarbais Beans have some amazing qualities : they cook 10% to 50% faster* and absorb 10% to 20%* more water* than other varieties. *(Compared with lingot, coco and soisson varieties : study carried out by the Auch CRITT-CTCPA agricultural technology research centre.

The ‘culinary gems’ of Southwest France, Tarbais Beans are acclaimed by the greatest celebrities of French Cuisine as the best of the 224 varieties grown in this country. These days you will find Tarbais Haricots being served in high-class establishments as far away as the USA, Japan, Australia...

The Tarbais Bean's signs of Quality - Label Rouge and IGP

Produced by individual growers, inspected and labelled, all strictly in compliance with the French terms and conditions of production and sale which ensure that the Tarbais Bean is still a traditional local product of outstanding quality. The Tarbais Bean was the first bean to be granted of Label Rouge, in 1997, and in 2000 it obtained IGP status (Indication of Protected Geographical Origin).

Favourable soil

The land of Bigorre is known for its light, silt-laden and rather stony soil, with a somewhat acid PH and little clay. Too much clay would thicken the seed peel and make the bean more floury. The plants benefit from the gravel of the Pyrenean mountain streams, which store up warmth during the day and release it during the night.

Suitable climate

The type of soil is not enough to explain the distinctive qualities of the Tarbais Bean. In fact, the same seed, grown in identical conditions on very similar soils in other areas (Petites Pyrenees, alluvial terraces of the Garonne...), do not produce the same quality.

Bigorre is where the oceanic influence of the Gulf of Gascony meets the continental effects of the region of Toulouse : the resulting pleasant climate is a determining factor in the character of the Tarbais Haricot. Our area is free from the drying “devil’s wind” (the Autan); instead it benefits from the temperate Föhn, which comes from Aragon and grows gentler as it crosses France.

Major prescriptive conditions for Label Rouge and IGP status

Production within a defined area (IGP) - Hautes-Pyrenees and neighbouring cantons

Selection of low-clay and acid soils

Compulsory soil analysis; plot rotation every two years

Use of selected and certified seed

Minimum space of 1.6 m between rows for healthy and sun-drenched plants

Efficient cultivation : operations carried out in accordance with observed requirements, with emphasis on soil preparation

Manual harvesting (no machine used) of ripe crop

Total traceability system ensures beans can be traced to the plot where they were grown

Throughout history, Le Guérandais sea salt from Guérande has always been the number one choice of salt for France’s finest chefs and today it is a landmark of French gastronomy. Guérande sea salt is perfectly suitable for everyday household use, as these original and readily accessible recipes demonstrate. Here you will discover 25 delicious ways to spotlight Le Guérandais’ own brand of Guérande sea salt in all its forms.

A thousand years of expertise

The salt workers who harvest Guérande sea salt are the heirs and guardians of a heritage dating back over one thousand years. Theirs is one those rare agricultural professions still using age-old artisanal techniques that they perpetuate to pass on to future generations. Their pride in their harvest and their knowledge of Guérande sea salt means they are best placed to advise both the great chefs and the public at large how to use it.

Le guérandais, a history of its people

The salt workers of the Le Guérandais brand share the values of the Guérande saltworks cooperative: equality, equity, solidarity, team spirit, and mutual endeavour. The cooperative itself belongs to its member salt workers.

The treasured territory of the salt marsh

Along the Atlantic Ocean, between the mouths of the River Loire and Vilaine in Southern Brittany, the wetlands of the Guérande salt marshes cover a vast 2000 hectares. The marshes have been worked since the Middle Ages and are the northern-most in Europe.

The Guérande salt marshes create an exceptional natural reserve for wetlands’ flora and fauna and they owe their survival to the maintenance work of the salt-harvesting trade.

100 % natural flavour enhancer

Le Guérandais Guérande sea salt is a fruit of the ocean, sun and wind. It does not require washing, chemical treatment or additives. It is 100 % natural, sieved and sifted by simple techniques to guarantee consumers constant quality.

Le guérandais products

Coarse grey sea salt

Le Guérandais coarse grey sea salt from Guérande has a special reputation for its unique flavour, a flavour without bitterness that melts in the mouth. It is the contact with clay that gives it its distinctive slightly grey hue, and enhances its mineral content. It is most often used when baking with a salt crust, grilling fish and meat, creating court bouillons and bringing flavour to cooking water-boiling pasta or vegetables for example.

“Fleur de sel” sea salt

The rarer “fleur de sel” literally translated means “flower of the salt”. It is harvested from the surface of the crystallisation ponds, using techniques dating back over a thousand years. It is naturally white and of exceptional quality. “Fleur de sel” crystals are neither milled nor washed in order to preserve their rich mineral properties. Le Guérandais “fleur de sel” is sprinkled onto dishes after cooking and beautifully enhances the flavours of grilled meat and fish, foie gras or salads.

Fine sea salt

Le Guérandais fine sea salt is obtained by drying and milling coarse grey sea salt. The process preserves all the quality and pleasure of authentic sea salt. Fine sea salt is suitable for all uses in the kitchen as well at the dinner table.

The secrets of harvesting

Guerande sea salt is hand-harvested twice a day throughout the summer, weather permitting. The coarse grey sea salt settles on the clay of the crystallisation ponds, where it is harvested, while the much rarer «fleur de sel» sea salt settles on the surface of the water. This is where the harvester’s expertise really comes into play: he or she delicately skims the «fleur de sel» sea salt from the surface using a rake known as a «lousse», and draws the coarse grey sea salt towards the edge of the ponds using another rake known as a «las».

The region’s mild climate and sandy, humus-rich soil provides the ideal growing conditions for a delicate vegetable - the renowned Blaye asparagus. From late March to late May, you’ll find the thick, creamy stocks at all of the farmer’s markets in the region. But if you’d like to explore a working farm, stop in at Domaine de Tout l’y Faut, less than 20 kilometres north-east of Blaye. Here they produced three tons of gourmet-grade asparagus from three hectares, each asparagus row a long mound to keep the tips of the vegetable safe from sun exposure. During the season, owners Veronique and Jean-Marie Camus take visitors out into the fields and teach them the delicate business of unearthing asparagus, followed by a cooking lesson and tasting. The Camus family also produces red and white wine, and home-made jams and preserves made in huge copper cauldron from fruit grown on the farm.

Asparagus des Sables des Landes

In Landes, the sandy soil and temperate climate also provide the perfect terroir for asparagus. La Darrigade farm in Soustons grows IGP certified Asperges des Sables des Landes, peanuts, corn and raises corn-fed ducks. The thick, straight, creamy white stalks of asparagus hit the market at the end of winter, and are immediately snapped up by savvy shoppers and discriminating chefs.

Alsace Asparagus

Among the seasonal delicacies of this lovely region, asparagus is one of the most prominent. It was brought to Alsace, and more particularly to Hoerdt, in 1873 by Pastor Louis Gustave Heyler. He had worked for several years in North Africa and found similarities between the land there and in Hoerdt. He encouraged the peasants to start growing asparagus. Today, it has spread and there are also major production sites in Illfurth, Rumersheim-le-Haut and Village-Neuf in the Haut-Rhin department.

The craze for Alsatian asparagus is such that thousands of fans come on pilgrimage every year! Today, the product retains a strong traditional character and an Alsace Asparagus Route has been created from the North to the South of the region, taking in all the producers, restaurant owners and distributors of Real Alsace Asparagus, united under the same label of freshness and quality.

This logo is a guarantee based on production specifications drawn up in co-operation with Alsace Qualité. Compliance is strictly controlled by an independent organisation. The highest level in this classification, Asperge de très haute qualité, is recognised by its whiteness, the firmness of its head that may be slightly purplish, and its equal and straight length. It is between 12 and 26 mm wide and 16 and 22 cm long.

Meat lovers are in for a real treat with the Bœuf de Bazas. This is the label given to beef that has been raised under strict guidelines within the region. Three types of cows are allowed : Bazadaise, Limousine, and Blonde d’Aquitaine, and they are all free range, pasture fed with grass and grains, minimum age of 3 years, producing tender, savoury cuts.

There are 280 small farms raising Bazas-grade beef, but you won’t find it in the supermarkets. Thirteen butchers have been approved for ageing and selling the meet -- you’ll see the sticker on the butcher’s door if he’s received approval. The entrecôte (aka Porterhouse or T-Bone) is the cut by favoured by locals, and it is best cut thick, grilled over hot coals made from grape vines, seasoned simply with salt, pepper and minced shallots. In Bordeaux, artisanal butcher Francis Deschamps offers his speciality Roti de Bœuf de Bazas as well as all of the other prized cuts at his shop, located just off the ring road in Bordeaux, on the route leading to the Landes countryside.